Thursday, October 28, 2010
Keyne's Died Sixty-Four Years Ago......Can We Finally Nail Down His Coffin Lid?
When Barack Obama says that most economists agree with the policies that he has put into effect, he is talking about Keynesian economists. In the thirties, Maynard Keynes and Friedrick Hayek were debating the effectiveness of government intervention in the economy. The stimulus package of last year is what Keynesian economists advocate to kick start an economy. There is supposed to be a multiplier effect involved when money is dumped into the economy by the government, ie: people who receive money from the government spend the money boosting other sectors of the economy. Why this has never worked is that the money the government infuses into the economy is backed by debt, creating more debt, inflating our cash flow making the dollar worth less. Picture two Keynesian economists in a deep hole with a shovel (the hole being our debt). The Keynesian with the shovel says, "We need to dig our way out of debt". The other Keynesian says, "Dig up, stupid". Just as the two with the shovel can not dig their way out, the government has failed every time it has tried to get us out of debt by making more debt, to include President Roosevelt's New Deal. I know that most of us have been taught in school that the New Deal policies helped to bring us out of the Great Depression. The fact is that the rest of the world was coming out of the depression while the U.S. was still mired in a sluggish economy due to the policies of President Roosevelt. Flash-forward to now. After a year where we have amazingly huge debt spending geared to revive an economy in collapse, mostly due to bad home lending practices (the unintended consequences of government interfering with private loan companies and some greed thrown in for good measure). Can we all see that these ridiculous debt spending policies don't work? Can we finally agree that the best thing that government can do to help the economy is to get out of the way and stop spending money that we don't have? Or are there still people that would trust the politician more than themselves? Yes, there is a role for government. It is there to protect us from unscrupulous people that would endanger our financial and personal well being. But, to make villains out of whole sectors of social, political and financial persons and institutions, the way our "beloved" President has, is on its face, absurd.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Politics IS NOT a Four Letter Word; Ignorance........Might As Well Be.
I first started this blog last year with certain ideas in mind.
1) I wanted an outlet to share with others the concepts, opinions and ideals that I have formulated after listening for many hours to talk radio hosts across the country.
2) I wanted to be a participant in the "war of ideas" that helps to shape our culture, our society and our nation.
3) I wanted to demonstrate how politics in Washington (and to some small extent the various state and local governments) affect our daily lives.
4) I wanted to convey the importance of being involved in politics.
I am grateful to all those who read my blog on a consistent basis and I am especially grateful to you who take the time to comment. I am not at all certain that this post is even addressed to you, as I know that you are active and informed. Perhaps my regular readers can take encouragement in the preceding words and perhaps there will be those who stumble upon this post that will take my message to heart.
I have often heard people say they do not wish to "be political" or that politics is not something that they're interested in. I say that politics is human nature. It is the process that we use to get along with others. The politics of DC are just an extension of how we interact with our neighbors. Often people are afraid to express their view point or ideas. People find it easier to share their preference of skin cream or shampoo than to tell people who they will vote for and, more importantly, why. While it is important to have clean hair and soft skin, I think it might just be more important that we are informed and that we inform those around us. Who we choose to represent us in our "representative government" is a decision that has long lasting reprecusions. Too often have I heard the complaint that they're all bums and crooks. To that complaint I ask how did all those crooks get into office and more importantly how do they stay in office? I believe that it is the responsibility of the American populace (those of age to vote ) to be well informed on the issues before stepping into the voter booth and pulling the lever (okay, I think I just showed my age by saying "booth" and "lever" but you get the idea). I'm not egalitarian enough to say you should vote if you're not voting for my candidate. I would just as soon you stayed home or didn’t mail in your ballot, but since I know that you'll vote for your guy no matter what I say, than I just ask that you are as informed as you can possibly be.
Since our government is supposed to be run "by the people" we all are combatants in the war of ideas. This should be a civilized war where we treat those who disagree with us respectfully, but still try to convince them that our argument is right or be intellectually honest enough to be swayed by theirs. As Rush Limbaugh has eloquently stated, "Ignorance is our most valuable commodity". Speaking up is our best defense against ignorance, including our own. It is too easy to sit on the sidelines and think that what we have to say does not matter, but not having everyone involved has cost our nation dearly.
1) I wanted an outlet to share with others the concepts, opinions and ideals that I have formulated after listening for many hours to talk radio hosts across the country.
2) I wanted to be a participant in the "war of ideas" that helps to shape our culture, our society and our nation.
3) I wanted to demonstrate how politics in Washington (and to some small extent the various state and local governments) affect our daily lives.
4) I wanted to convey the importance of being involved in politics.
I am grateful to all those who read my blog on a consistent basis and I am especially grateful to you who take the time to comment. I am not at all certain that this post is even addressed to you, as I know that you are active and informed. Perhaps my regular readers can take encouragement in the preceding words and perhaps there will be those who stumble upon this post that will take my message to heart.
I have often heard people say they do not wish to "be political" or that politics is not something that they're interested in. I say that politics is human nature. It is the process that we use to get along with others. The politics of DC are just an extension of how we interact with our neighbors. Often people are afraid to express their view point or ideas. People find it easier to share their preference of skin cream or shampoo than to tell people who they will vote for and, more importantly, why. While it is important to have clean hair and soft skin, I think it might just be more important that we are informed and that we inform those around us. Who we choose to represent us in our "representative government" is a decision that has long lasting reprecusions. Too often have I heard the complaint that they're all bums and crooks. To that complaint I ask how did all those crooks get into office and more importantly how do they stay in office? I believe that it is the responsibility of the American populace (those of age to vote ) to be well informed on the issues before stepping into the voter booth and pulling the lever (okay, I think I just showed my age by saying "booth" and "lever" but you get the idea). I'm not egalitarian enough to say you should vote if you're not voting for my candidate. I would just as soon you stayed home or didn’t mail in your ballot, but since I know that you'll vote for your guy no matter what I say, than I just ask that you are as informed as you can possibly be.
Since our government is supposed to be run "by the people" we all are combatants in the war of ideas. This should be a civilized war where we treat those who disagree with us respectfully, but still try to convince them that our argument is right or be intellectually honest enough to be swayed by theirs. As Rush Limbaugh has eloquently stated, "Ignorance is our most valuable commodity". Speaking up is our best defense against ignorance, including our own. It is too easy to sit on the sidelines and think that what we have to say does not matter, but not having everyone involved has cost our nation dearly.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
MY DAUGHTER CAN WRITE CIRCLES AROUND ME, THATS A GOOD THING
I wish I could write like my daughter. This is what I found on her blog today.
I Believe
There are times when we will feel like we are nothing.
Unimportant.
We don't matter.
I went through a phase recently, and I honestly felt like nobody cared. But don't believe it.
The lies that your mind concoct will never be true. You are important, you matter, and there's always somebody who cares. The undeniable truth is that each and every one of us is important.
Imperfect things that we are, we will hurt, and be the cause of hurt, and wonder why. But don’t doubt we’re here for a reason. We will learn, and we will change, and we will scream and hope and pray, but our circumstances are our circumstances. Sometimes they are as unmovable as a mountain, and at others as easy to move as throwing a tiny piece of rock.
This is where we all are, tangled in the delicate threads made by a master’s handed, breaking and being woven again, irreplaceable one-of-a-kind treasures haphazardly tossed in the half-hearted net called ‘existence’. Pain and joy, hope and fear, all mixed together in a gentle balance, falling apart with ease in the face of chaos, yet the chaos makes it stronger the next time.
Such is us, struggling on the path of life. Hardships throng around us, occasionally breaking through our carefully-built yet so easily broken defenses, but we build them up and are stronger. And our strength gives us new opportunities, new chances, maybe even a whole new life.
We will want to give into the current to sweep us away. We will want to leave the path completely, free ourselves of the pain. But what will happen? Tears will be shed, opportunities will be lost, and the suffering we were so desperate to leave will occur with those around us.
Believe. With all your heart, believe. Learning to love is the hardest thing, but loving gives the most chances. When you are hurting, remember that there are those hurting more than you. Do not take comfort from such a fact, but accept it, understand it, and then try to do something to change it. This is where the beauty in each one of us lies.
We are all so drastically different. Yet male or female, dark-skinned or light-skinned, we share much in common. We feel the same pain whether physically or emotionally, we breathe the same air, and we bleed the same blood. Why can’t we love, too?
I am far from perfect. I try so to remember all the good things I have, than completely forget them when I am angry or hurting. But if you have a roof over your head, family and friends, clothes, are you not lucky?
Are you not lucky enough with family and friends?
We each are important. We each matter. So try, try, try, and help me to try, to learn to love. We may never reach perfection, but we will have changed. Hopefully it will be for the better. Learn and grow, ebb and flow, such a cycle, a circle, a place to belong! But remember. Remember, always remember.
You are important, and I believe.
I Believe
There are times when we will feel like we are nothing.
Unimportant.
We don't matter.
I went through a phase recently, and I honestly felt like nobody cared. But don't believe it.
The lies that your mind concoct will never be true. You are important, you matter, and there's always somebody who cares. The undeniable truth is that each and every one of us is important.
Imperfect things that we are, we will hurt, and be the cause of hurt, and wonder why. But don’t doubt we’re here for a reason. We will learn, and we will change, and we will scream and hope and pray, but our circumstances are our circumstances. Sometimes they are as unmovable as a mountain, and at others as easy to move as throwing a tiny piece of rock.
This is where we all are, tangled in the delicate threads made by a master’s handed, breaking and being woven again, irreplaceable one-of-a-kind treasures haphazardly tossed in the half-hearted net called ‘existence’. Pain and joy, hope and fear, all mixed together in a gentle balance, falling apart with ease in the face of chaos, yet the chaos makes it stronger the next time.
Such is us, struggling on the path of life. Hardships throng around us, occasionally breaking through our carefully-built yet so easily broken defenses, but we build them up and are stronger. And our strength gives us new opportunities, new chances, maybe even a whole new life.
We will want to give into the current to sweep us away. We will want to leave the path completely, free ourselves of the pain. But what will happen? Tears will be shed, opportunities will be lost, and the suffering we were so desperate to leave will occur with those around us.
Believe. With all your heart, believe. Learning to love is the hardest thing, but loving gives the most chances. When you are hurting, remember that there are those hurting more than you. Do not take comfort from such a fact, but accept it, understand it, and then try to do something to change it. This is where the beauty in each one of us lies.
We are all so drastically different. Yet male or female, dark-skinned or light-skinned, we share much in common. We feel the same pain whether physically or emotionally, we breathe the same air, and we bleed the same blood. Why can’t we love, too?
I am far from perfect. I try so to remember all the good things I have, than completely forget them when I am angry or hurting. But if you have a roof over your head, family and friends, clothes, are you not lucky?
Are you not lucky enough with family and friends?
We each are important. We each matter. So try, try, try, and help me to try, to learn to love. We may never reach perfection, but we will have changed. Hopefully it will be for the better. Learn and grow, ebb and flow, such a cycle, a circle, a place to belong! But remember. Remember, always remember.
You are important, and I believe.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Hypocracy Exposed. Do I Feel a Static Build-Up?
The Daily Show exposes union hypocrasy.
Further evidence that the poles have flipped. Very entertaining clip.
John Stewart gets it right.
Further evidence that the poles have flipped. Very entertaining clip.
John Stewart gets it right.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
WHY IT'S NOT A GOOD THING TO MESS WITH MY "OL' LADY".
Okay, it's happened again. Either the poles have flipped or something else bizzare has happened. My wife has once again strayed from the "ranch" and has written a political post. She takes on someone from the left who calls those of us who oppose the building of the "ground zero Mosque" , bigots. I try not to argue with my wife. Why? Because she is a master at taking someone apart with words. Don't believe me? Check out this argument. The guy didn't stand a chance.
Soooo, what would you like to see? A recipe for Chicken Divan or pictures of my kid?
Yeah, okay, I had to comment on her blog. The following is what I had to say; I'm just glad that we were on the same side:
Hey Hon.
The phrase I used is the "liberal two step" (I think it was coined by Jon Caldera). This argument you had with the guy would go round and round until it would be stretched beyond all recognition. Let me just point out that calling the people who are opposed to the mosque being built at Ground Zero bigots does not refute their argument. Look into what is happening in Europe. There are huge Muslim communities who's leaders are calling for Sharia law to be imposed on the Muslim community. Mosques have been built on ground taken by Muslim empires (as christians, let us not forget where the Dome of the Rock sits at this very moment). While I agree that the Islamists willing to fly planes into buildings are a minority, there is no one who can say how big that minority is. No one can say how many Muslims agree with the sentiment of the radical Islamists. Very few Muslims speak up in opposition to these radicals for fear of retaliation. No one has been able to find out just who is to fund the building of the Mosque. If it is to be the Wahabist Muslims of Saudi Arabia, then there is just cause to oppose the construction of this building. I know that I am not a bigot. What I am is somone who loves his country and I do not want to see it destroyed by enemies from inside or out.
Soooo, what would you like to see? A recipe for Chicken Divan or pictures of my kid?
Yeah, okay, I had to comment on her blog. The following is what I had to say; I'm just glad that we were on the same side:
Hey Hon.
The phrase I used is the "liberal two step" (I think it was coined by Jon Caldera). This argument you had with the guy would go round and round until it would be stretched beyond all recognition. Let me just point out that calling the people who are opposed to the mosque being built at Ground Zero bigots does not refute their argument. Look into what is happening in Europe. There are huge Muslim communities who's leaders are calling for Sharia law to be imposed on the Muslim community. Mosques have been built on ground taken by Muslim empires (as christians, let us not forget where the Dome of the Rock sits at this very moment). While I agree that the Islamists willing to fly planes into buildings are a minority, there is no one who can say how big that minority is. No one can say how many Muslims agree with the sentiment of the radical Islamists. Very few Muslims speak up in opposition to these radicals for fear of retaliation. No one has been able to find out just who is to fund the building of the Mosque. If it is to be the Wahabist Muslims of Saudi Arabia, then there is just cause to oppose the construction of this building. I know that I am not a bigot. What I am is somone who loves his country and I do not want to see it destroyed by enemies from inside or out.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Senior Moments
Senior Moment #1:
I received my paycheck yesterday at 4:30 a.m. I came home at 7:00 a.m. and proceeded to do some chores around the house. Not until 2:00 in the afternoon did I remember my paycheck, at which point I had lost track of it and I am furiously looking for it. When my wife sits at her computer at 9:00 p.m. that night and pulls out the keyboard tray, the check show up, sitting right on the corner. Why said check was there? No idea. I don't even recall being in that vicinity.
Senior Moment #2:
Because we are in the process of moving from a townhouse into an apartment, we have to downsize from a king size bed to a queen in order to fit into a smaller bedroom. We had a Select Comfort queen size bed stored away in our crawl space. Yesterday, I was bringing up the bed to check on it's usability. I found all the parts except for the remote controls used to control the airflow into the bed. Normally, at this point, I would call my wife to ask if she might know where it is but this time I decided to take the initiative. I searched the crawl space and the area where I had laid out the bed and even the boxes that the bed had been stored in. I couldn't find them anywhere. When my wife got home she, of course, finds one. We continue to search for the remaining remote for the next couple of hours until we give up because I need to get some sleep before I go to work that night. While I'm sitting in the bedroom, I finally take a look at the remote my wife found and realized that this remote has controls for both the left and right sides of the bed. I call down to my wife and ask her if, perhaps, there is only one remote for the bed. She gets this exasperated look on her face as she calls up that yes, perhaps that is the case.
So, there are some questions that come to my mind.
Should I be glad that I'm not the only one in the family having these senior moments and that I shared an endearing experience with my wife? Or should I be frightened that I can't always rely on my wife to save me from myself?
Should I be concerned that these two senior moments ran concurrently or does it mean that I may be "moment free" for a longer period of time?
Is it possible that the AARP cards that I have been getting in the mail are not a mistake, but rather an omen?
I am SO looking forward to the second half of my life.
I received my paycheck yesterday at 4:30 a.m. I came home at 7:00 a.m. and proceeded to do some chores around the house. Not until 2:00 in the afternoon did I remember my paycheck, at which point I had lost track of it and I am furiously looking for it. When my wife sits at her computer at 9:00 p.m. that night and pulls out the keyboard tray, the check show up, sitting right on the corner. Why said check was there? No idea. I don't even recall being in that vicinity.
Senior Moment #2:
Because we are in the process of moving from a townhouse into an apartment, we have to downsize from a king size bed to a queen in order to fit into a smaller bedroom. We had a Select Comfort queen size bed stored away in our crawl space. Yesterday, I was bringing up the bed to check on it's usability. I found all the parts except for the remote controls used to control the airflow into the bed. Normally, at this point, I would call my wife to ask if she might know where it is but this time I decided to take the initiative. I searched the crawl space and the area where I had laid out the bed and even the boxes that the bed had been stored in. I couldn't find them anywhere. When my wife got home she, of course, finds one. We continue to search for the remaining remote for the next couple of hours until we give up because I need to get some sleep before I go to work that night. While I'm sitting in the bedroom, I finally take a look at the remote my wife found and realized that this remote has controls for both the left and right sides of the bed. I call down to my wife and ask her if, perhaps, there is only one remote for the bed. She gets this exasperated look on her face as she calls up that yes, perhaps that is the case.
So, there are some questions that come to my mind.
Should I be glad that I'm not the only one in the family having these senior moments and that I shared an endearing experience with my wife? Or should I be frightened that I can't always rely on my wife to save me from myself?
Should I be concerned that these two senior moments ran concurrently or does it mean that I may be "moment free" for a longer period of time?
Is it possible that the AARP cards that I have been getting in the mail are not a mistake, but rather an omen?
I am SO looking forward to the second half of my life.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Does the Ostrich Feel Safe Up To the moment That He Feels the Teeth of the Lion on His Rump?
There are two things you should know about me. One: I am a political junkie. Two: I have depression. The political junkie thing you have probably figured out in the first five minutes of reading my blog. I hope my depression has not shown through in my writing as easily as my political addiction has. When I say I have depression I don't mean I get a little weepy when watching sad movies. I'm talking about a debilitating disease that occasionally makes me want to pull the covers over my head and not come out. Ever Again. I'm writing this not to gain sympathy (feel for my wife and daughter, if anyone), but so you will understand the advice I was just recently given and why it may be sound advice.
Most of the time I'm fine. Through medication and support, I am generally a happy person. But at times, because of circumstances or if I forget to take my medication, I find myself in a funk. A few weeks ago, just such an incident happened. I won't go into detail but let's just say it was bad enough that it got the attention of my bishop. After the incident, my wife and I met with him. After some discussion of career moves and possible training that I might pursue, the subject of talk radio came up. My bishop's advice was that I should stop listening to talk radio for a time. It's good advice and if the roles were reversed, I might give that same advice. But I don't think I can follow it.
At any other time, I would be happy to pull out my Yes CDs or a little Toad the Wet Sprocket, or listen to a little jazz or just set my radio to only music, but right now, our nation is soon to go through perhaps one of the worst times that it has ever gone through and I cannot avert my attention. You might think that I'm exaggerating the dangers that we are facing, but let me ask you some questions. How do we pay a debt that is half a million dollars per person and growing? And what happens if we don't pay it? What happens if radical Muslims get hold of a nuclear device? And what is our federal government doing to protect us, other than suing the State of Arizona for trying to do the job that they refuse to do (ie: defending our border)? Who is going to protect us from a government that insists on what kind of light bulb we have in our lamps, how much water pressure we have in our showers, how well our toilets don't flush or what products or services we must buy, including our health insurance?
With everything that is happening in our world today, I cannot just ignore it and bury my head in the sand. Someone, well meaning, said to me, "There is nothing you can do about the evil that is happening in Washington DC or the rest or the world, so just let it go". The whole purpose of this noble experiment we call the USA is for us to have self determination. We, the people, have been asleep at the switch. But it is not too late to change that and that is one of the reasons for my blog. In order to write my blog or to take part in the political process, I need to be informed.
As you can imagine, current events and depression do not mix well and, of course, I can not just look away and pretend that I and mine will be okay. For one thing, our economy is in shambles. I think purposely. And I am now making half the income that I used to make due to a loss of career. The last two years have been the hardest of my life and to pile on, I have just found out that our mortgage lender has approved our loan modification for, get this, three dollars less a month than what we were paying previously. So you can see that the bishop's advice would be good for me to follow. What he doesn't understand is that my psyche (I said psyche not psycho) is just not wired to look away and pretend that everything will be okay. Just because our country has come back from the brink before doesn't mean it will again.
Okay so much for the bad news. Now let's concentrate on what there is that we, as the people of the greatest nation ever to grace the face of the earth, can do. The first thing is to recognize who the true enemy is. As a conservative, it is easy for me to point my finger at liberals and the current democratic leadership. Obama and the leaders in Congress are not without fault and let us not forget the excessive spending and the betrayal of President Bush and the Republicans in office two years ago. As much of the blame as we can place on politicians, they are not the true enemy. In Paul's epistle to the church in Ephesus, he spelled out who the true enemy is and what is needed to defeat them.
Ephesians 6: 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
If you are a fan of Glenn Beck you may recognize this approach. For truly (yea verily in Bible lingo), if this nation is to come back from the brink, it will be the changes in us that will make the difference as stated in the Old Testament.
2 Chr. 7: 14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
I would not be able to deal with what is transpiring today if it were not for my faith in God and the belief that what happens is because of his love for me. I may not, and often do not, understand why I have to go through the troubles that I have, but I will believe in what Paul and other witnesses of the Christ have written. I would not want to live in today's climate without my faith in a loving God.
Most of the time I'm fine. Through medication and support, I am generally a happy person. But at times, because of circumstances or if I forget to take my medication, I find myself in a funk. A few weeks ago, just such an incident happened. I won't go into detail but let's just say it was bad enough that it got the attention of my bishop. After the incident, my wife and I met with him. After some discussion of career moves and possible training that I might pursue, the subject of talk radio came up. My bishop's advice was that I should stop listening to talk radio for a time. It's good advice and if the roles were reversed, I might give that same advice. But I don't think I can follow it.
At any other time, I would be happy to pull out my Yes CDs or a little Toad the Wet Sprocket, or listen to a little jazz or just set my radio to only music, but right now, our nation is soon to go through perhaps one of the worst times that it has ever gone through and I cannot avert my attention. You might think that I'm exaggerating the dangers that we are facing, but let me ask you some questions. How do we pay a debt that is half a million dollars per person and growing? And what happens if we don't pay it? What happens if radical Muslims get hold of a nuclear device? And what is our federal government doing to protect us, other than suing the State of Arizona for trying to do the job that they refuse to do (ie: defending our border)? Who is going to protect us from a government that insists on what kind of light bulb we have in our lamps, how much water pressure we have in our showers, how well our toilets don't flush or what products or services we must buy, including our health insurance?
With everything that is happening in our world today, I cannot just ignore it and bury my head in the sand. Someone, well meaning, said to me, "There is nothing you can do about the evil that is happening in Washington DC or the rest or the world, so just let it go". The whole purpose of this noble experiment we call the USA is for us to have self determination. We, the people, have been asleep at the switch. But it is not too late to change that and that is one of the reasons for my blog. In order to write my blog or to take part in the political process, I need to be informed.
As you can imagine, current events and depression do not mix well and, of course, I can not just look away and pretend that I and mine will be okay. For one thing, our economy is in shambles. I think purposely. And I am now making half the income that I used to make due to a loss of career. The last two years have been the hardest of my life and to pile on, I have just found out that our mortgage lender has approved our loan modification for, get this, three dollars less a month than what we were paying previously. So you can see that the bishop's advice would be good for me to follow. What he doesn't understand is that my psyche (I said psyche not psycho) is just not wired to look away and pretend that everything will be okay. Just because our country has come back from the brink before doesn't mean it will again.
Okay so much for the bad news. Now let's concentrate on what there is that we, as the people of the greatest nation ever to grace the face of the earth, can do. The first thing is to recognize who the true enemy is. As a conservative, it is easy for me to point my finger at liberals and the current democratic leadership. Obama and the leaders in Congress are not without fault and let us not forget the excessive spending and the betrayal of President Bush and the Republicans in office two years ago. As much of the blame as we can place on politicians, they are not the true enemy. In Paul's epistle to the church in Ephesus, he spelled out who the true enemy is and what is needed to defeat them.
Ephesians 6: 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
If you are a fan of Glenn Beck you may recognize this approach. For truly (yea verily in Bible lingo), if this nation is to come back from the brink, it will be the changes in us that will make the difference as stated in the Old Testament.
2 Chr. 7: 14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
I would not be able to deal with what is transpiring today if it were not for my faith in God and the belief that what happens is because of his love for me. I may not, and often do not, understand why I have to go through the troubles that I have, but I will believe in what Paul and other witnesses of the Christ have written. I would not want to live in today's climate without my faith in a loving God.
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